


the palace's garden

by renwrites



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Fluff, Kings Rising Spoilers, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Kings Rising
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:05:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6137575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renwrites/pseuds/renwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That afternoon, Laurent took refuge in one of the palace's gardens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the palace's garden

**Author's Note:**

> laurent's so difficult to write that i almost gave up on this fic, so sorry in advance if he sounds ooc.

That afternoon, Laurent took refuge in one of the palace's gardens.

It was easy to slip away between one reunion and the other, when no one was paying attention to him and the hallways were mostly empty. He made his way up in silence, avoiding the few servants, keenly aware that he had come to know Ios's palace as well as he did his own in those weeks since his uncle's and Kastor's death. It was a strange feeling, one he didn't know yet if pleased him or not.

The garden he chose was small and quiet, and the already red sun bathed it in a warm, welcoming light. Here the hot Akielon weather weakened before fresh breezes and shadows cast by robust trees, but Laurent didn't venture between the bushes and flowers; instead, he sat on the step that led to the grass, rested again a white pillar and sighed.

He was tired.

Laurent felt it in his bones, the steel fingers of exhaustion digging into his flesh and clinging to his body with the lazy, deliberate way of moving of a snake. He forced himself to relax; his muscles were tied in tense knots, weeks of nonstop work weighing him down. Someone had had to keep things afloat, and that someone was him only, at least for now, with Damen still recovering and their kingdoms in the brink of disarray.  

_Damen._ Laurent closed his eyes. He hadn’t talked properly with him in what seemed like forever, not once since his advisors had whisked him away from the King’s room, where he had been trying to keep disaster from happening from his desk, where he sat all day writing letters and orders while Damen slept – and sometimes woke up only to stare at him from across the room and say in a sleepy, slow voice, _Laurent, come to bed_.  He would always go, of course, and stay, as he was sure Damen knew he would, only until the King of Akielos was asleep again.

The memory brought a smile to his lips.

Sighing, Laurent took off his boots and sank his feet in the grass, appreciating the sensation of the earth under his skin. He missed those early days, more than he cared to admit, but he wouldn’t complain, not when things were working out so well – or at least as well as they could in the situation, what for him was already beyond good enough.   

"Laurent," said a voice in a pleased tone, bringing him back to reality with a forceful pull. Laurent’s eyes snapped open and he paused, straightening his back and resting his hands on his lap, recomposing himself, but then the voice registered in his mind. He turned in time to see Damen was already sitting beside him.

"Damen," Laurent said, adjusting his position against the pillar just enough to face him better. He tried to ignore the way his heart was beating against his chest, but the sight of him – the calm, completely worry-free expression he had come to know in those first few days gracing his face, the smile on his lips – had caught Laurent off guard. It wasn’t much, but just enough that he knew Damen had noticed, like he always did. He cleared his throat. "Shouldn't you be resting?” he said, his eyes going to the bandages around his torso, under his chiton. They were clean. “Paschal won't like it if you open the wound again."

"It's been more than a month," Damen said, the sun turning the bare brown skin of his arms and legs to fierce bronze. "I'll be fine." Laurent knew he was right, so he said nothing. Damen's eyes flickered in his direction, and his face softened. Laurent felt a tug at his chest. "Tired?"  

For a split second, Laurent hesitated, the words that would turn the conversation away from him almost escaping through his lips, but he made himself pause. This was Damen, and they were _safe_. "Yes," he said, and felt his skin raw against his stern Veretian clothes. It was like tugging at something fragile, something that might break if he wasn’t too careful. "I am."

Damen nodded. "Jord saw you sneaking out once," he said, his hand going to Laurent's and bringing it to his own lap, fingers interlaced.

Laurent raised his eyes. Damen's tone was a mix of tenderness and amusement. Laurent squeezed his hand. "Did he tell you that?"

"He may have."

"Then I'm getting worse at escaping after all." Damen snorted at that and Laurent couldn't help but smile. "They won't start looking for me so soon." He knew that well, having slipped away more times than he could count in the last days. Laurent wasn't stupid; he knew he needed rest to work, so he would get it and then do his job. "We still have some time."

Damen's smile widened. "Yes, we do."

And then, with a swift movement, he lay down on the marble floor and his head came to rest on Laurent's lap. Shocked, it took him a moment to realize that his arms were raised; he brought them close to his chest, his heart fluttering against his ribcage, and then, slowly, almost as if he wasn’t certain of what he should do, Laurent ran his fingers through Damen's hair.

"Have I rendered you speechless?" said Damen, and there it was, that tenderness again, warming his voice like silk. Laurent pulled at his hair and Damen laughed, the sound echoing through the empty garden. It seemed to vibrate inside Laurent's chest as well, and, smiling, he bit his lip.

He moved his hands to Damen's neck, messaging the nape, and the Akielon hummed, satisfied. His dark, almost black curly hair was smooth against his skin, and slightly damp, as if he had bathed recently. Laurent's fingers snaked their way back up, and Damen shifted, his face turned to the garden. Laurent moved a few bangs from his eyes; his hair was so long now it almost reached his shoulders.

"I'll be back at the meetings tomorrow," said Damen after a few minutes of silence, his voice low and pleased.

Laurent blinked, fingers still deep into his hair."Hm?"

Damen moved just enough to shoot him a look. His brown eyes were, once again, full of amusement. "I'll be back at the meetings tomorrow," he repeated. "The wound is almost completely healed, and you need help."

Laurent paused. Damen's eyes were still on him. "All right," he said slowly, and Damen relaxed, his head heavy on Laurent's lap. "Nikandros will be delighted."

Damen snorted. "I bet he will." A smiled graced his lips for a second before disappearing, and his expression sobered. When he spoke, his voice had lost most of its playfulness. "You know it only will get harder from now on. It won't be easy to unite the kingdoms. It might take months. Or years."

There was a question there, and knowing Damen, he would voice it soon. Laurent traced the lines of his cheekbones, and down, to his lips. He felt like the whole world was made of glass. "Do you have any doubts?" he asked, and his voice was calm, but sharp.

Seconds of silence passed and then Damen moved and turned to him, rearranging himself on the marble floor again, one arm at each of Laurent's side. The sun had fallen below the horizon, but its fading light was enough to make his brown eyes gleam. He raised his arm.

"Do you?" Damen's fingers brushed against the soft skin of his cheek and Laurent leaned in, so eager he paused, face warming, but Damen only smiled.

Laurent's hands went to Damen's shoulders and chest. He could feel Damen's heart beating under his palm as if it were his own, and for a moment he rejoiced in the fact that they were both here, and _alive_.

A breath escaped his lips and he moved his hands up, to Damen's nape. His skin was so warm beneath his fingers. "No," he finally said. "I don't."

And brought Damen's lips down for a kiss. 


End file.
